The new center will help connect Israel’s academia sector to the local transportation and smart mobility sector and should advance research in these fields.
Earlier this month, New York-based ride-sharing company Via announced it was teaming up with Israel’s Dan Bus Company to launch “Bubble,” a smart public transportation service in the Tel Aviv area.
The service – which will commence operations at the end of the month – will provide a smart shuttle service for Tel Aviv, Givatayim and Ramat Gan.
Users will be able to order a shuttle from a Bubble smartphone application, and will then be requested to head to a nearby bus station – based on real-time traffic conditions and service demand – where they will be collected by a Bubble vehicle.
The application will enable users to track their estimated pick-up time and expected time of arrival at their destination. Disabled passengers requiring an accessible vehicle will be able to notify the company through the application.
Late last year, Bar-Ilan University announced it will begin deploying in April an autonomous electric shuttle to transport students and visitors around the campus.
Leading French autonomous vehicle company Navya will supply the “Autonom Shuttle” for the initiative led by the Bar-Ilan Smart Cities Impact Center, which seeks to transform the university’s campus into an urban laboratory where scientists and solution providers can test their smart city systems.
Eytan Halon contributed to this report.